Supporting-stand.



0. J. MILLER.

SUPPORTING STAND.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 28, 1912.

v Patented Feb. 11, 1913.

i i Pi ar y ATENT oFFI SUPPORTING-STAND.

Application filed March 28, 1912.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHRISTOPHER J. MIL- LER, of Rochester, in the countyof Monroe and State of New York, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Supporting-Stands, which improvement is fully set forthin the following specification and shown in the accompanying drawings.

The present invention relates to supporting stands for sheet music,books and other articles which are required to be supported at differentheights and at different angles, and an object of the invention is toprovide a construction in which the supported part may be raised orlowered and adjusted angularly by the manipulation of a singlecontrolling member withoutinterfering with the rough adjusting devicefor vertical adjustment.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device for effecting thevertical adjustment but permitting the supported part to be rotated.

Still other objects of the invention are to provide simple andinexpensive adjusting means for effecting the above results.

To these and other ends the invention consists in certain parts andcombinations of parts all of which will be hereinafter described, thenovel features being pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a side view of the present inventionembodied in a music stand; Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the device forefiecting the angular and vertical adjustment of the supported part; andFig. 3 is a vertical section of the device for effecting a roughvertical adjustment and permitting the rotation of the supported part.

According to this invention, there may be provided a base membercomprising a platform 1 having three or more legs 2 connected by tiepieces 3. The platform 1 may be provided with a guide member in the formof an uprighted rectangle, the opposite or upper and lower arms 4 ofwhich are provided with alined guide openings through which operates asupporting rod 5 which preferably is of circular cross section.

Between the guided parts 4 operates a gripping member 6 preferably inthe form of a clutch block having a concave gripping face conforming tothe surface of the rod 5. This block is preferably supported by a link 7which is pivoted at 8 to the block 6 and at 9 to the upright 10 of theguide member, the

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 11, 1913.

Serial No. 686,781.

link being mounted in such a manner that when the block 6 swingsdownwardly it is forced against the rod 5 and in turn forces the latteragainst the walls of its guide openings, thus frictionally holding therod 5 against downward vertical movement. This gripping action ismaterially increased owing to the fact that the gripping member 6cooperates with the guide rod between the two guide openings which inturn provide two spaced gripping surfaces. Preferably a helical spring11 is arranged between the block 6 and the upper guide 4 in order tohold normally the block 6 in engagement with the rod 5. Disengagement ofthe block 6 may be effected by a hand lever 13 which is pivoted at 14 tothe upright 10 and has its inner end 15 loosely cotiperating with theunder side of the block 6. The spring serves to over-balance the actionof the outer end of the lever 13 as the latter would otherwise have alifting action on the block 6.

Arranged at the upper end of the rod 5 is the supported part 16 which,in this instance, is in the form of a music holder having aforwardly-turned flange at its lower end to act as a rest. The loweradjusting device serves for the rough vertical adjustment of thesupported part 16, and between the supported part 16 and the rod 5,there may be provided an adjusting device which has the dual function ofeffecting the angular adjustment of the supported part and also the finevertical adjustment, both of the adjustments being effected by theoperation of a single controlling member. In this instance, this devicecomprises a link member 17 preferably formed from a single piece ofmetal having more or less resiliency. This link is provided at oppositeends thereof with circular openings or bearings receiving respectively alaterally-turned pivot 18 on the rod 5" and a laterally turned pivot 19projecting from a post 20 on the rear or underside of the supported part16. The link 17 may also be provided with two slots 21 opening at acommon point 22 at one side of the link and each extending through andcommunicating with the circular openings or hearings in which the pivots18 and 19 turn. This construction forms out of the link 17 a pair ofclamping devices, the portions of the link on opposite sides of theslots 21 providing spring clamping jaws. These jaws have a commoncontrolling member preferably in the form of a hand piece 28 providedwith a screw portion 24 which operates within an internally threadedbore extending transversely of the link 17 between the pivots 18 and 19,one end of the bore opening at the point 22 between the ends of thejaws. The common controlling member may also be provided with an annularshoulder 25 which directly, or through the medium of a washer 26,controls the position of the clamps by engagement with those portions ofthe link 17 in proximity to the point 22 or, in other words, byengagement with the free ends of the movable clamping jaws of the link.

In the use of this device, the supporting part 16 is elevated ordepressed approximately to the proper height by pressing downwardly onthe outer end of the lever 13, causing the raising of the block 6 thusfreeing the rod 5. Then the hand piece 23 ot' the controller is operatedto reduce the frictional engagement between the link 17 and the pivots1S and 19, after which the supported part 16 may be adjusted angularlyand raised or lowered by a slight degree for fine adjustment. When theproper position of the support 16 is obtained, the hand piece 23 ismanipulated to operate the link clamps and hold such supported part inits adjusted position.-

The rough adjusting device for vertical adjustment is of simpleconstruction and it permits the guide members 4 to be utilized in theclamping action, owing to the fact that the clamping or clutch block 6operates between them. The clutch block also permits the standard 5 tobe rotated without any manipulation of said block as the surfaces of thesupporting rod and the block conform one to the other and thus permitsuch rotation while preventing the lowering of the rod. The combinedangular and fine adjusting device is of simple construction findrequires but a single controlling mem- What I claim as my invention anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In ,a stand of the class described, the combination with two barshaving openings therein, of a clutch block arranged bet-ween the bars toengage the rod, and a link pivoted at one end to a fixed part and at theother end to the clutch block.

2. In a stand of the class described, the combination with an uprightprovided with a cylindrical pivot, a supported member provided with acylindrical pivot, and integral metallic member having cylindricalbearings cooperating with the pivots and also having a slot leading fromeach of said bearings to one side of the member to provide integralspring clamps, and a conand cooperating with the ends of the clamps.

3. In a stand of the class described, the combination with an uprightprovided with a pivot and a supported member provided with a pivot, ofan integral metallic member having two bearings cooperating with thepivots and also having slots each leading from one of said pivots to oneside of the member to provide two integral spring arms, and a controllerhaving screw threaded engagement with the member between the ends of thearms and having a surrounding shoulder for cooperating with both arms toclamp the pivots.

CHRISTOPHER JOHN MILLER.

Vfitnesses:

HAROLD H. SIMMs, ADA M. WHITMORE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G.

troller having connection with said member

